mickypalmer

Hi All

I am a British citizen.

I have been based in Thailand for 10 years and am now considering moving back to Europe. The questions I have are based on my experiences in Thailand and may seem a little naive! Apologies but your advice/information would be appreciated.

It is my intention to relocate to Madrid for the first 12 months. I intend to rent a small apartment. I work as an on line English Teacher for which it is essential I have a hard-wired Internet connection - wi-fi isn't adequate because the audio is simply not reliable enough.

In Thailand, I cannot obtain a wired connection myself because I am a foreigner. I therefore have to get the Thai landlord to subscribe to a service on my behalf. What's the situation in Spain? Presumably the landlord has to agree but can I subscribe to a service myself as an EU citizen? Is it easy to obtain a reliable, fast wired service in a rented apartment in Madrid?

In Thailand it is not possible to obtain finance in your own name for a car. You either have to pay cash to own the car or have a Thai put their name to a loan (and the car is then registered in their name). I will be exploring during my first 12 months and, whilst I suspect a car will not be essential in Madrid, I believe it will be an asset when exploring for work as an English Teacher and for selecting a long term base. Is it possible for a foreigner (EU citizen) to get a loan for a car in their own name (I guess that hiring may be the better option in the short term)?

Any information gratefully received and many thanks in anticipation!

missile

In my experience a Wifi dongle works very well in all of the Spanish cities I have visited - including Madrid. Foreign nationals do not face restrictions like those in Thailand. You need NIE, proof of residence (pardon) and of course meet the lenders conditions to register a car and obtain finance. Any reputable car dealer will advise and arrange on your behalf.

MikeJ

Sorry to correct - that should be NIE (which is a national identity number for foreigners) this is reasonably easy to get; and Padron, which registration with the local authority - strictly speaking you have to be resident to register on the Padron (empadronamente) so this is not necessarily mandatory. Some other proof of address is usually sufficient, eg rental agreement or lease. You will probably also need a Spanish bank account to start with or you may get tangled in money laundering red tape - especially if you want to transfer large funds from Thailand.
Madrid, I understand, has lots of fibre-optic broadband so you should be able to select an area which has superfast broadband for your apartment. Maybe choose one which is already connected. Otherwise, Movistar is the commercial name of Spanish Telecom so that's the place to start. Just like in the UK there are many other suppliers of broadband services once you have established the local loop connection.
Likewise, to buy a car you will need your NIE. There are a number of threads on this forum which cover buying a car and pointing out possible pitfalls - if you follow the good advice you should be fine (although parking in Madrid can be a nightmare)

missile

Thanks for the corrections. 1.Excuse my typo. 2.You are of course correct, by definition one should be "resident" to register on the pardon. However, most foreigners (whether resident or not) find it easier to negotiate the red tape if they have an NIE and are on the padron. As you say both are easy to obtain. > In theory one only needs to show proof of address to register a car at trafico. However in practice, I do not know anyone who has been able to register a car, without first being on the pardon. Perhaps you do?

snikpoh

... what's with this 'pardon' @missile

missile

LOL, maybe OP can teach me English

mickypalmer

Thanks for the information. Much appreciated. Mind you, it took me 30 minutes to spot the difference between pardon and padron!

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

benwill.iam

@mickypalmer

A couple of pointers, from my experience of Madrid.

1. A car in Madrid would be a total disaster. The place is collapsed with traffic, there's practically nowhere to park for free and the Metro (underground) covers most of the city. If you really want motorized transport then get a scooter.

2. Internet - go for a mobile "dongle" style internet connection. This allows you to take it with you when working and it's simpler to move apartment.

Ben

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary